Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership (STEP), an agency dedicated to bringing Saskatchewan goods and services to the world, has made the commitment to support women-owned businesses by signing WESK’s Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter. STEP provides critical support for Saskatchewan’s exporters in established markets while tapping into new markets through a comprehensive suite of programs and services.

Signing the Charter was a natural progression for STEP. Many of their most successful members are women. Chris Dekker, CEO of STEP says “Over the years, STEP and WESK have worked closely to support and promote women exporters in Saskatchewan. The Charter Champion initiative will not only expand on this effort but will help create new opportunities for women to engage on the international stage.”

Saskatchewan is one of the most export dependent provinces in one of the most export dependent countries in the world. (STEP, 2021) The province relies on the economic activity created by Saskatchewan exporters to generate jobs, taxes, and royalties to fund everything from education and health care to roads and infrastructure. By making the commitment to support women entrepreneurs, STEP is recognizing the value women bring to the Saskatchewan economy.

STEP is currently working on two of the Charter principles, Share Skills with Her and Shatter a Ceiling. STEP offers a full suite of programs designed to help Saskatchewan exporters reach their full potential. Through mentoring and training, STEP hopes to advance more women into exports by helping them gain access to market entry and preparing them for international opportunities. They also recognize the importance of having women in leadership roles. STEP is proud to express that over the past 10 years, women representation on their Board of Directors has increased from 21% to 47%.

STEP recently celebrated 25 years of supporting Saskatchewan exporters. Over the past 25 years, Saskatchewan has seen remarkable growth in international trade with total exports more than tripling to $30.3B in 2020. (STEP, 2021) By signing the Charter and making supplier diversity a priority, STEP is paving the way for women exporters in other provinces. STEP is proud to recognize the contributions their women members make to our economy and look forward to supporting them further through this initiative.

About the Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter
The Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter is an initiative launched by WESK to address the gender entrepreneurship gap in our province. The charter is comprised of four principles to provide guidance and examples as to how you and your organization can best support local women-owned businesses.

The Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter is an initiative launched by WESK to address the gender entrepreneurship gap in our province. The charter is comprised of four principles to provide guidance and examples as to how you and your organization can best support local women-owned businesses.

Conexus, a forward-thinking, innovative credit union, made the commitment to advancing gender parity and equality by signing the Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter in 2021. Conexus is dedicated to improving the financial well-being of their members and communities by creating simple, personal, and empowering experiences that are transformational, not just transactional. As a local co-operative, Conexus’ profits are returned to their members through rates, no-fee accounts, and community investment.

“Conexus is proud to work with so many female entrepreneurs, leaders, founders, and changemakers across the province every day, and we’re excited to be a part of this movement to amplify our ongoing investment in women entrepreneurs,” says Conexus Vice President of Member & Community Engagement, Nicole Westerlund. “We celebrate the strong female leaders across our organization and in our communities today, and we’ll be here to champion, support and celebrate the next generation of local women entrepreneurs.”

Signing the Charter was an easy choice for Conexus. They have a long history of empowering female leaders through mentorship, development opportunities and business financing. They have proudly achieved gender equality on their Board of Directors, and within their Executive Leadership Team. While Conexus has started to move the needle towards gender equality, they acknowledge that there is still more work that needs to be done and remain committed to continuing to lead this change for future generations.

Conexus is currently focusing on Principle two of the Charter, Amplify Her Voice. The objective of this principle is to give women entrepreneurs the opportunity to broaden their customer base through co-promotion, recognition, and accelerator programs that give her the boost she needs to scale her business.

It is a priority for Conexus to recognize gender bias and consider how they finance, fund, and support female business members and this is why, since the launching of the Conexus Venture Capital Inc. in 2019, they have invested in six companies with a female founder or at least one woman on the founding team. Conexus is proud to share that as of Q4 2021, every single one of these companies has seen a fair market value gain on the initial investment. It is their estimate that each of their woman-founded companies are performing with an 80%-90% IRR.

Conexus’ support for female-founders also spans across its business incubator company, Cultivator, as they have supported a total of 29 female-founded startups in Saskatchewan, nine of which are currently in their GROW and SCALE programming. To date, these companies have generated over $2.3 million in revenue, raised over $1.5 million in capital and received over $1.8 million in government funding.

Conexus is Saskatchewan’s largest credit union. Being a part of the community is fundamental to who they are as a business. One of their key values is to “Be Bold & Creative,” to act with courage, be curious and challenge the status quo. Signing the Charter falls within this value, and Conexus looks forward to being a part of moving the needle closer to gender parity in Saskatchewan. Join WESK in celebrating this month’s Charter Champion, Conexus.

The Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter is an initiative launched by WESK to address the gender entrepreneurship gap in our province. The charter is comprised of four principles to provide guidance and examples as to how you and your organization can best support local women-owned businesses.

WESK is pleased to feature Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), a wholesaling, manufacturing, marketing, and administrative co-operative owned by more than 160 independent local co-operative associations. FCL has made the commitment to work towards gender parity by signing WESK’s Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter.

Creating a diverse and inclusive space that allows for equal and equitable opportunity for all is a priority for FCL.

“The Charter provides an opportunity for us, one of Saskatchewan’s largest employers, to develop practical initiatives that support the success of women entrepreneurs in the province,” said Shauna Wilkinson, Vice-President of People and Culture.

FCL is committed to having a workplace culture that supports a more engaged, high-performing, and innovative workforce. Their vision for diversity and inclusion is for all employees to bring their whole self to work: a vision that is important to them and the communities they operate in. With the breadth of their business and the scope of their reach, signing the Charter made good business sense.

“I am pleased that FCL is a signatory on WESK’s Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter,” said Wilkinson. “Our business is largely business-to-business, but while we focus on serving our independent local co-operative members, we also work with other businesses and individuals.

FCL is committed to making diversity and inclusion a vital part of their culture. Their Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) continues to amplify the voice of women in the organization. This network allows employees to connect, learn and develop through committee meetings and a speaker series all employees are welcome to attend. WIN Speaker Series topics have included “All Genders as Allies to Women in the Workplace” and “Perspectives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour,” which featured an all-women panel. An upcoming session stems from their Book Study Group’s current read, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. This next session will focus on men as allies for women.

By signing the Charter and making the commitment to support women-owned businesses, FCL is affirming Co-op’s inclusive brand – You’re at Home Here. Join WESK in celebrating Federated Co-operatives Limited as this month’s Charter Champion.

The Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter is an initiative launched by WESK to address the gender entrepreneurship gap in our province. The charter is comprised of four principles to provide guidance and examples as to how you and your organization can best support local women-owned businesses.

We are pleased to welcome Co-operatives First as a proud champion of the Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter. By signing the Charter, Co-operatives First is committing to advancing gender parity and equality through economic activity. Co-operatives First is a remarkable Saskatchewan-based organization that promotes and supports business development in rural and Indigenous communities across western Canada. The co-operative model allows individuals set up a business or organization, and work with like-minded people towards a common goal.

Executive Director, Audra Krueger, understands firsthand the need to support women in business. “Women are often central to the creation and success of co-operative businesses. I’ve been watching this trend unfold across western Canada and I’m happy to support these dedicated women as they innovate and build the economy,” shared Audra.

Signing on to the Charter was critical to Co-operatives First, as it was important for them to evaluate how well they are supporting women entrepreneurs within the community. The Charter has also encouraged them to measure how they are supporting female employees, as well as the service providers they hire. The Charter has enabled Co-operatives First to hold themselves accountable by setting intentions and backing them with measurable goals.

Currently, Co-operatives First is working on “Principle 3: Share Skills with Her” by prioritizing professional development for female employees. In addition to supporting continued skill development as well as leadership training, Co-operatives First is looking to “Principle 4: Shatter a Ceiling” by helping to equip women to take on more leadership roles.

At their core, Co-operatives First hopes to help communities build new businesses, grow local economies, and support community development. By signing the Charter, they are committing to help advance gender parity and equality in Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter is an initiative launched by WESK to address the gender entrepreneurship gap in our province. The charter is comprised of four principles to provide guidance and examples as to how you and your organization can best support local women-owned businesses.